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How to ensure sustainability within healthcare

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Deepak Prakash, senior director of global marketing at Avery Dennison Medical, describes the path to progress in healthcare industry sustainability.

Environmental sustainability is one of the most important priorities for the healthcare industry and for medical plastics and device manufacturers. The challenge ahead demands that supply chain partners focus on sustainability within their own organisations and across their extended supply chains.

Healthcare sustainability initiatives are gaining momentum. The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council’s (HPRC) membership has grown to include some of the industry’s largest device makers. Health Care Without Harm is working globally to promote sustainable procurement practices, green hospitals and healthcare waste reduction, and through its “For a greener NHS” campaign, the U.K. National Health Service is tackling climate change on multiple fronts - from reducing hospital emissions to investing in telemedicine.

The medical plastics industry has opportunities to advance sustainability from design inception through product end-of-life for both disposable and durable devices and equipment.

Recycling medical plastics

Medical plastics recycling is a complex issue. How can plastic devices be designed to be more recyclable? How can hospitals and healthcare providers integrate plastic recycling into procurement and point-of-care processes? And, of course, how will plastic medical products, packaging and waste ultimately be collected and recycled? The solutions are not simple, but they are not impossible either.

The HPRC said in a recent interview that each year Europe generates about 1 million tonnes of non-infected medical plastic waste which could be recycled. The council offers a HospiCycle toolkit to help healthcare institutions set up programmes to recycle more of this “clean” plastic waste.

There is growing interest in bio-based and recycled films. Also, in some cases, multi-laminate packaging films, which can pose recycling challenges, may be replaced with films that are readily recyclable.

Eco-friendly manufacturing processes

Sustainability advocates often refer to creating circular economies. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation defines a circular economy as one “based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.” This is as opposed to a linear economy, which runs on a “take-make-waste system,” according to the foundation. One example of a circular economic practice is responsible collection, recycling and reuse of chemicals from the medical plastics manufacturing process. Another is reducing release liner waste for pressure-sensitive adhesive products. Both require value chain stakeholders, from suppliers to end users, to take shared responsibility.

Within their operations, best practices for medical plastics companies and their suppliers include greenhouse gas emission reduction, energy conservation, landfill waste reduction and recycling programmes for all types of scrap and waste. Sustainable raw materials sourcing is also a priority. Medical plastics material suppliers are identifying and testing alternatives to traditional chemicals and inputs. For example, PolyVinyl Chloride (PVC) has been successfully replaced in some medical foams, and materials producers are exploring alternatives to animal-based gelatine.

Supply chain transparency is essential. Customers expect suppliers to have visibility and accountability for processes they directly control and those they do not. For example, sterilisation methods are coming under greater environmental scrutiny, and healthcare decision makers will look for supply chain partners who are prepared to adopt X-ray sterilisation and other approaches with fewer risks than ethylene oxide treatment and gamma ray irradiation.

Human rights, diversity and inclusion

Another important aspect of medical industry sustainability is the human side. Every organisation should take responsibility for human rights and workplace safety within its own operations and those of its supply chain partners, monitoring sites with regular audits.

Diversity, inclusion, wellness and corporate giving programmes also support sustainability objectives. After all, without a healthy balance within human individuals, teams and organisations, how can we begin to sustain the natural world that supports us? Examples include:

In conclusion, the path to sustainability progress requires every link within the supply chain to be engaged and accountable. Medical device developers, their customers and suppliers must challenge one another to be more sustainable and collaborate with each other to make it happen.

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